Alberta has a new agriculture minister. Former Agriculture Canada geotechnical technician Oneil Carlier was named minister of Agriculture and Forestry by Premier Rachel Notley in front of thousands of onlookers in Edmonton, Sunday.

The MLA for Whitecourt-Ste Anne is one of several rookies who surged to victory, May 5, as part of the province’s orange wave that unseated the long-ruling Progressive Conservatives. As AgCanada.com reports, Carlier is no stranger to the agriculture world. His family farms in Val Marie, Saskatchewan where they have raised cattle and grown grain for several generations.

Notley also named former NDP leader and new party House Leader Brian Mason as minister of infrastructure and transport, Sunday. Federal Transport Minister Lisa Raitt tweeted her congratulations and said she looked forward to working with Mason. The NDP has promised to review the impact of federal rail and transportation policies on Alberta farmers.

In Canada

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a recall for several brands of Atlantic Canada potatoes after nails and needles were reportedly found in the potatoes. The recall extends to Farmer’s Market russet potatoes in five-, ten- and 15-pound bags, Strang’s Produce potatoes in five-, ten-, and 15-pound bags and Strang’s Chef jumbo potatoes for chips in 50-pound bags.

A man in Lethbridge, Alta. is facing fraud charges in a case that involves more than $800,000 worth of hay. As CBC Calgary reports, Taber police say a local agriculture business was defrauded in 2013 after a man obtained hay under false pretences and failed to reimburse the company.

Japan appears to have lost interest in a bilateral agreement with Canada. New documents obtained by The Canadian Press show the ongoing trade negotiations have stalled because Japan is more interested in negotiating the multi-billion dollar Trans Pacific Partnership agreement. An internal memo says Japan is dragging its heels on a date for the eighth round of bilateral talks.

Internationally

A group of U.S. researchers say they have developed a vaccine against strains of avian flu currently wreaking havoc on the American poultry industry. As Postmedia writes, the vaccine is designed to protect against in the H5N1 and H7N9 strains of avian flu. More than 40-million birds have been killed or euthanized since January because of the outbreak in the United States.

Supermarkets in France will not be allowed to throw out edible food. The Guardian reports that under a new law, unanimously approved by French legislators, supermarkets must donate leftover food to charities or for animal feed. By July of next year, supermarkets that house 4,305 square feet (400 square metres) or more will have to sign contracts with charities or face penalties including fines of up to €75,000 ($101,000) or two years in jail.

California’s water board has approved voluntary water use reductions put forward by some of the state’s farmers, Friday. As Reuters reports, the farmers agreed to either reduce water diversions by 25 per cent or fallow one-quarter of their land in exchange for assurances they would not face further cuts this growing season.

Noteworthy

Dozens of volunteers in Halifax turned out over the weekend to plant a “living shoreline.” As The Cape Breton Post reports, a Nova Scotia environmental group is hoping to bring life back to the province’s shores – by strapping bales of hay onto the crumbling coastal land.

Researchers from the University of Missouri say plants can ‘hear’ themselves being eaten and can go on the attack. As The Daily Mail reports, researchers found the plants can detect the sound of hungry caterpillars and will go on the defensive.

In Opinion

Debate is raging around whether fruit juice still deserves a place on Canada’s Food Guide. As the Winnipeg Free Press reports, the president of Canada’s Beverage Association has come out in defence of the popular thirst quencher, while health officials argue the amount of sugar in juice is contributing to this country’s obesity problem.

And, the Manitoba Co-operator’s Laura Rance says Canada’s aging farm population and mounting farm debt is a “smouldering stick of dynamite”. The recent Ag Outlook Survey, she says, found one third of respondents said their farms will change hands in the coming years.

The Kicker

Time for your funny animal video of the day – courtesy of the Toronto Star. Every year in Denmark, thousands flock to farm fields to celebrate ‘Dancing Cow Day,’ the first day dairy cows are allowed to graze outside. Now, one Ontario couple is bringing the tradition to Canadian pastures – and their cows couldn’t be happier.